Long Description:The Fort Beauharnois Historical Marker is in a half acre roadside parking area that was built in 1940 by the NYA (National Youth Administration) in cooperation with the Minnesota Department of Highways. It was designed by prominent landscape architect Arthur R. Nichols. The limestone used to construct the marker may have been obtained from a quarry within Frontenac State Park. Limestone from this same quarry was used to construct the Cathedral of St. John the Divine in New York City in 1883.

Text on the marker: "On the shore of Lake Pepin just north of here, a French expedition commanded by La Perriere and accompanied by two Jesuits in September, 1727 built a substantial log fort and the mission of St. Michael the Archangel. The post was occupied periodically until about 1756."

Note: in 1985, the original 1940 plaque was replaced by a completely different plaque titled "French Trading Posts on Lake Pepin" due to the original plaque's having been defaced. This plaque was mounted on the stone marker until 2010 when a replica of the original 1940 Fort Beauharnois plaque was placed. Text on the temporary plaque: "French Trading Posts on Lake Pepin. In September 1727 a party of French soldiers and traders under the leadership of Rene Boucher Sieur de la Perriere built a fortified post on Lake Pepin from which they traded for two years with the Dakota (Sioux) Indians. They were there to secure an alliance with the Dakota in order to gain access to the fur and possible mineral wealth of the area and to eventually press westward in search of the 'great western sea.' Accompanying the group were two Jesuit missionaries, Michel Guignas and Nicholas de Gonner. A letter from Father Guignas to the governor general of New France, Marquis de Beauharnois, reported that 'the day after landing axes were applied to the trees, and four days later the fort was entirely finished.' Variously referred to as the 'post among the Sioux' or 'Fort Beauharnois,' it included several trading houses, a guard house, quarters for the members of the party, and a chapel named in honor of St. Michael the Archangel. Several trading posts were built on Lake Pepin by the French from 1686 until they abandoned the area in the 1750s during the French and Indian War. Most are believed to have been located on the east side of the lake, but the remains of only one, near Stockholm, Wisconsin, have been found. The locations of all the others, including Fort Beauharnois, are unknown. Erected by the Minnesota Historical Society 1985."

Marker Type:: Roadside

Visit Instructions:A photo of the 'Marker' or 'Plaque' is required to identify the location, plus a picture of the 'Historic Site'.